Chapter 2-The Strategy
There were four of them seated in deep contemplation in the tent, a rather sombre mood, settling, as the light filtered through the opening. Rayalavaaru, was deeply contemplative, as he looked at the man sitting across him. Endowed with a broad chest, and shoulders, which had borne the scars of many a battle, and eyes that pierced with a sheer intensity. His long hair locks cascading down his shoulders, his thick black moustache fiercely reflecting the pride of his clan. Not an ounce of fat on his body, as he stood in front of the Raya with reverence.
Ramalinga Nayaka, the commander of the Vijayanagara army, of the Pemmasani clan of Gandikota, one of Rayalavaaru’s close confidante and his favourite warrior. Not just for his bravery and prowess on the battlefield, or his fierce loyalty to the empire. He was one of the most intelligent commanders he ever had, planning every move on the battle like a master chess player. A man who treated the soldiers as human beings, then just expendable cannon fodder. He would visit the family of every soldier who had fallen on the battlefield, and support them in all ways. His conduct and character not surprisingly won him the respect of the soldiers.
"Ramalinga, I had seen your prowess when you vanquished the Sultans of Golkonda, Gulbarga and Ahmednagar at once. No commander in the history of Vijayanagara so far, had even come close to this. There is a reason why you are the one I trusted to lead this audacious mission”
Ramalinga bowed reverentially.
“Rayalavaaru, you are aware of the long tradition of honour and loyalty with which the Pemmasani Nayakas of Gandikota have served Vijayanagara since centuries. You shall not regret the trust and faith placed in me. By the grace of Virupaksha, and blessings of Narasimha, victory shall be ours, tell me what worries you”.
“It’s not a question of your capability Ramalinga, it’s the long delay that worries me, we have camped here since a week, and the offensive has not yet started. Impatience and restlessness pervade among the troops, and we are running out of time. We had put everything together for the mission, what stops us from going ahead?”
Ramalinga silently gathered his thoughts.
"I understand your concern Raya, just give me some time to explain it "
And drawing aside the large sheet of coarse cotton, across the table the small scale model of the fort, and its surroundings, came into view, as he began to point out with a long stick, drawing a long semi circular arc around the base.
“When we laid siege to Udayagiri, Kondavidu, there was a thick forest at the foothills to give cover, but as you can see here, the land around here is open plains with rocks strewn around. Our forces are exposed right in the open and this”
As he tapped the ramparts of the model fort.
“The Adil Shahis has the most powerful artillery here, huge, deadly cannons that can blow our soldiers to smithereens in a moment. We will be basically target practice for them, as our troops advance across the open plains. There is a reason why Bijapur is the most powerful of all the Bahmani kingdoms, the cannons they have, wrought havoc during the battles with Golkonda and Ahmednagar. Sending our forces to become cannon fodder is not really a wise strategy”.
Rayalavaaru’s concern deepened, frowns creasing across his forehead.
“Is not that the reason why we had allied with the Portuguese for this very purpose to make up for the artillery deficit we had”.
The Raya's concern deepened, as a frown creased across his forehead
"We do have the artillery Rayalavaaru, but honestly speaking, our cannons do not have that vast range, they are suited for medium range contact, but am afraid, across the wide-open plains they would not be able to provide the much-needed cover for our troops. We can fire only at a close range, nearing the walls of the fort”
Christovao de Figueredo, the Portuguese general, with very tall, erect physique, a thick handlebar moustache, adorning, his heavy-set white face, tanned by the heat and humidity of Goa, in a bright red tunic, with gold coloured buttons, and spotless white pants down, interjected.
“If I may interrupt, your Highness, if someone could take us near to the fort, till we are in the firing range, while your troops are in battle, we could pick the defenders off the walls. But we would need heavy cover to reach all the way there”.
“We have a solution to that” replied Ramalinga, as the others in the tent looked on in earnest.
"For the past week, our spies have been scouting the location around the fort. While there are no thick forests around to give us cover, the course of the Krishna River here, gives us a way out”.
“The river at this point near to our tent, is quite shallow, and can be forded easily. I have already sent a contingent of our troops across the river, to the other side yesterday. Now while the river is again deeper in the middle, it again begins to thin out, after some time, and this point is right near to the fort"
As Ramalinga, tapped harder to emphasize the importance.
"This contingent, consisting of a thousand, headed by Sadashiva Nayaka, shall attack the artillery from the rear, at the same time, our troops are making a dash across the plains, to divert them temporarily. As they engage the artillery in close combat, another unit headed by Ganda Raya, shall give cover to the Portuguese artillery unit under Christovao till the walls, from where they shall begin to fire".
Just then one of the spies rushed in breathlessly, bowing head down.
“By the grace of Virupaksha, Sadashiva Nayaka and his men have stationed themselves at the point safely”.
Ramalinga smiled profusely
“I had been waiting for this news, we go in at a great risk, one wrong step, could throw it in chaos. We are ready Rayalavaaru”
Relief descended on the men in the tent, with the anxiety dispelled, as Rayalavaaru got up, embracing Ramalinga, with more love and affection, than what he would ever feel for those of his own blood.
"I had entrusted this mission to you, with full trust in your ability and wisdom, and you have not let me down. Let us waste no time, Ramalinga, destiny beckons us now."